2,900 Hawai’i Dialysis Patients Continue Treatment Under Merger

By Wendy Osher

Liberty Dialysis Maui Lani facility in Kahului. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Some 2,900 patients currently on dialysis in Hawaii will continue to receive care as two providers agree to merge.

Liberty Dialysis – Hawai’i LLC and Fresenius Medical Care will continue to offer services at a combined 24 facilities throughout the state.

Maui patients currently receive treatment at the Liberty Dialysis Hawai’i clinic and Maui Home on Maui Lani Parkway in Kahului, and at the Molokai clinic on Kamoi Street.

In addition to the 2,900 patients currently on dialysis, there are more than 156,000 residents in Hawai’i with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), which ultimately leads to dialysis or kidney transplants.  Authorities say Hawai’i has a higher than average rate of CKD, with one in seven people affected, compared to the national average of one in nine.

Liberty Dialysis Hawaii, Maui Lani clinic. Photo by Wendy Osher.

“We are confident that there will be no immediate impact on the delivery of patient care in Hawai’i as a result of this merger,” said Glen Hayashida, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai’i.  “We will be working closely to ensure that access to care and quality of care to patients will not be compromised,” said Hayashida.

“Liberty’s collegial culture and their integral approach to clinical and operational processes will fit nicely with FMC’s focus on introducing new technology solutions to support quality and efficiency improvement in the dialysis clinics,” said Frank Maddux, FMC Chief Information Officer.

Representative Ryan Yamane, who Chairs the House Committee on Health said the inclusion of new technology to support the development and integration of electronic health records within the Hawaii dialysis system, “only serves to help transform healthcare within our state, further reducing the cost of healthcare.”

The merger transaction is projected to be complete in the early part of 2012.